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Historically, men have tended to show a stronger interest in mechanical watches than women, and quartz models still make up a considerably larger share of luxury women's watches today than of luxury men's watches. Yet demand for mechanical women's watches is growing steadily, and manufacturers are responding with an expanding range of models that offer their wearers fascinating insights and glimpses inside.
Exhibition Casebacks and Skeleton Dials Delight Fans of Mechanical Watches
Anyone who prefers wearing an automatic or hand-wound watch over a quartz model often wants to see what is going on inside the case as well. That is why numerous luxury manufacturers fit their mechanical wristwatches with mineral glass exhibition casebacks, which reveal the movement at work and, in the case of an automatic watch, the winding rotor too.
Riding the revival of interest in mechanical watches, manufacturers such as Maurice Lacroix began doing this as early as the 1990s, and today you will find such models in the collections of almost every premium brand. Skeleton watches go one step further: parts of the movement are sawn, milled, or stamped out until only what is essential to their structural function remains. The resulting openings reveal even more of the movement than a sapphire or glass caseback. Sometimes the dial features just a few individual cutouts that offer a view of specific details of the movement.
Details like these typically appear on elegant dress watches or jewelry watches, while mechanical women's watches designed for divers and pilots, such as a Breitling Colt Lady or a women's TAG Heuer Aquaracer, are more likely to feature screw-down stainless steel casebacks for robustness and water resistance.
More Room for Extras in Large Men's Watches
Overall, however, watches with exhibition casebacks and skeletonized models are still far more common among men's watches than women's, partly because of their dimensions. To actually see something of the mechanics hidden behind a dial cutout or a transparent caseback, a certain case size is needed. For very small women's watches with diameters well under 30 millimeters in particular, this kind of construction makes little sense.
All in all, though, mechanical wristwatches for women are available today in far greater numbers and much wider variety than just a few years ago. Size also often determines which winding mechanism a watch uses. Although it is now technically possible to produce very small automatic movements, hand-wound movements remain a popular choice wherever a small case is desired. This applies above all to women's watches, but also to particularly thin men's watches.
Fascinating Mechanical Women's Watches from Omega, TAG Heuer, Rolex & Co.
The luxury watch manufactures offering a wide selection of mechanical wristwatches for women include the industry's big names, such as Breitling, Rolex, Omega, and TAG Heuer. Models like the Rolex Lady-Datejust and the mechanical women's watches in Omega's Seamaster collection come in a seemingly endless array of colors and materials, leaving hardly any wish unfulfilled in that respect. Rolex, however, traditionally does not offer watches with exhibition casebacks, not even in its men's collection. Women who enjoy watching a movement at work will have no trouble finding what they are looking for at Omega, though.
Particularly beautiful examples showing that displaying the mechanics and an elegant, feminine look need not be at odds in high-end luxury watches include the automatic models with exhibition casebacks from the Omega Constellation collection and the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Lady.
The latter features a large aperture in the upper left quarter of its dial that offers a view of the El Primero 4062 caliber. Incidentally, the Spanish name El Primero, meaning "the first," refers to a major milestone in watchmaking history that will forever be inseparably linked with the Zenith name.
In 1969, amid fierce competition with rivals such as Breitling, TAG Heuer, and Seiko, this manufacture succeeded in bringing the world's first series-production automatic chronograph movement to market.
In addition to its chronograph function, the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster Lady features a small seconds, and its power reserve is up to 50 hours. Although its 38-millimeter case is relatively large for a women's watch, it looks decidedly feminine. Depending on the version, this is thanks to details such as a diamond-set bezel, romantic, playful hour numerals, or a colorful alligator leather strap.
A Heart for Hand-Wound and Automatic Women's Watches: The Tissot T-Classic Lady Heart
As with men's watches, mechanical women's watches are generally more expensive than comparable quartz watches. And once materials such as gold, platinum, or gemstones come into play, or the movement is enhanced with elaborate complications, mechanical women's wristwatches can easily reach four- or five-figure prices. Still, nobody has to spend a fortune: at some luxury watch brands, a well-made automatic watch is available for a mid-three-figure euro sum.
A representative example of this category is the Tissot T-Classic Lady Heart. Every version of this automatic watch features an aperture at 12 o'clock, marking it at first glance as a watch for women who love mechanical movements. Some versions also stand out from the crowd with floral details on the dial or strap, adding an extra eye-catching touch.
